A missing poster for John

THE disappearance of Carlow man John Coakley featured will feature on RTÉ’s Crimecall tonight at 9pm.

John Coakley (40) from Brown Street was last seen on Kennedy Avenue, Carlow at 2.55am on Saturday 15 April.

John’s father, John Snr, and his friend Kieran Kehoe along with gardaí have been searching for him since his unexplained disappearance.

Searches around Carlow town and a substantial stretch of the River Barrow have so far failed to unearth anything.

John Snr and Kieran have also taken their search outside of Carlow, doing leaflet drops in Waterford, Athy and Portlaoise.

As a new photo was released of John, and Kieran said there had been a possible sighting of John at Downey’s Garage, Dublin Road, Portlaoise on 5 May and made an appeal for information. John knew people in Portlaoise and Kieran asked people to think back whether they have seen John locally.

A new photo of John was released in an appeal for information

John Snr and Kieran also investigated a possible sighting in Waterford, with an individual claiming they spotted someone similar in appearance to John begging outside a Centra shop on the quay in Waterford on either 1 or 2 May.

“We are chasing shadows, but we are trying to exhaust every avenue,” said Kieran.

John Coakley is described as approximately 6’ 1” in height. He is of thin build with black hair, which is receding, and has green eyes. He was last seen wearing black Nike runners with reflective white strips, dark-blue jeans, a black short-sleeved polo top and sleeveless black gilet jacket. He was also carrying a short-handled shovel similar to a camping shovel.

Carlow gardaí can be reached on 059 9136620 and John Snr can be contacted on 085 8222438.

John Coakley has been missing since 15 April